Overview: Juno Award winner Gabriel Mark Hasselbach’s new straight‑ahead jazz album and contemporary jazz single, both released during Jazz Appreciation Month, are tracking toward the top 50 on the JazzWeek and Billboard charts.

Simultaneously, the trumpeter-flugelhornist-flutist’s new instructional book continues to educate and inspire new and veteran trumpeters.

Verdict: Inkwell Publishing recently published Hasselbach’s compact guide Top Tip Masterclass Jazz Trumpet in which he shares his wealth of knowledge, teaches technique, offers tips, and provides education to longtime players and newbies.

The book’s release is perfectly timed, arriving as Hasselbach showcases his versatility across both straight‑ahead and contemporary jazz.

“I had a strong calling to help up-and-comers bypass the trials and challenges of the trumpet. I wanted to help fast track the rewards and increase the fun quotient while keeping attrition low. So, I created a distilled handbook that is not about what to play, but how to play,” said Hasselbach. “If you start properly and stick with it, the joy will bloom.”

Now, lest you believe this is an actual full-sized book, please know from the off that it is actually a small, pocket-sized masterclass that puts a music expert in your gig bag: ten highest-impact techniques to sharpen your tone, phrasing, improvisation, and chops, each with clear explanations, focused practice drills, real-world examples, and quick troubleshooting — ideal for intermediate players, advancing beginners, and teachers who want fast, measurable progress wherever they practice; grab your copy and keep the pro’s top tips within reach. Phew!

Containing ten chapters - such as Your Horn - Your Servant, Daily Rituals, Long Tones, Long Life, Scales and amongst others both The Holy Act of Listening and The Myth of the Smile - the book (which measures 3”x4”) opens on a quick Intro from the Top Tip Founders, before Gabriel explains that the trumpet can scream like Maynard, Doc, or Bergeon ... or sing like Chet, Hugh, or Mendez, and thus urges you to play what feels true to you - because your horn will tell the rest.

Chock full of genuine inspiration - such as Your horn is your servant, not your overlord; You’re the driver, not the hood ornament. Command and Control; Fear makes bad tone. Respect makes resonance, and Don’t chase flawless. Chase consistency, et al. - this handy-dandy little book is one so vibrantly awash with little tips and rituals that it could easily have simply been created as a self-help guide on getting through your day without feeling like you are worthless and doing it all wrong!

About the Musician - The Denver-born, Vancouver-based Hasselbach has won several Juno Awards (Canada’s GRAMMY® equivalent). Among the many GRAMMY® winners and Billboard hitmakers he’s played with are Michael Bublé, Bob James, Jeff Lorber, Paul Brown, Greg Manning, and Darren Rahn. He also has performed on festival stages in Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, South Africa, and Japan.

Hasselbach is equally adept in straight‑ahead and contemporary jazz, refusing to limit his artistic expression to a single lane.

Official Top Tip Masterclass - Jazz Trumpet Purchase Link

www.toptipmasterclass.com